Andrew F. Cole
Corporate Communications Professional
Strategic, creative and digitally savvy leader with more than two decades of experience on two continents. A trusted advisor to senior leaders who has run his own consultancy, worked as an in-house PR expert at national and international firms, and functioned as a senior agency leader. Skilled writer, people connector, relationship builder, content producer, and director of award-winning public relations campaigns who is passionate about helping organizations transition to a more conscientious form of capitalism.
Portfolio: mrcole.net/portfolio
Home base: Toronto, Canada
LinkedIn: @andrewfletchercole
m: +1 647-612-2653
e: mail@mrcole.net
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Communications Manager April 2019 - April 2020 (Toronto)
During a one-year contract, created and implemented internal communications best practices to support the Foundation as it transitioned to a decentralized, matrixed structure. Creation and updated employee communication channels to complement change management processes.
Mastercard Foundation intranet homepage takeover examples (2020)
SharePoint intranet re-brand and launch:
Led communications planning and implementation.
=> +70% staff satisfaction and consistent daily use by employees across 10 countries.
Staff e-newsletter: Re-designed, produced, and distributed on Contact Monkey.
=> 97% open rate and 30% click rate.
Employee e-zine: Created and edited on MS Sway.
=> Within the first 3 issues: doubled views, increased reading time from 5 to 6 minutes, and boosted the reading completion rate from 57% to 63%.
“Andrew has endless energy & gets things done. His communication products are compelling & well composed, often leveraging the best of new media. He has bold ideas that challenge the status quo
& are what many organizations need to move to the next level.”
Justine Greenland Duke
Head of Knowledge Management
Mastercard Foundation
“Andrew is an innovative solution seeker and network builder who sees the big picture and identifies gaps and areas of synergy. He is a storyteller who brings strategy to life with a variety of platforms, and raises the bar with new tools and approaches.”
Jennifer Dent
Internal Communications Lead
Mastercard Foundation
Returned to Canada after living & working in South Africa for 12 years January 2019 - March 2019
Senior Account Director Sept. 2016 - Dec. 2018 (Cape Town)
After successfully assisting on new business pitches for Atmosphere Communications, the leading PR agency in South Africa, was hired to lead several major accounts, providing strategic direction, media training, and writing services.
‘Live Better Getaways’, an award-winning social influencer campaign (2018)
10 millionth customer celebration - Twitter photo mosaic contest: +24,700 retweets
Profile-building for C-suite executives: produced thought leadership pieces, corporate ads, speeches, desk side briefings, key messaging documents, interview training, and sales presentations.
Clients included: Santam, Capitec Bank, Cisco (South Africa), Angola Cables, Sanlam Investments, and Linebooker.
Helped restore the reputation and stock price of Capitec Bank through a year-long PR plan that saw their social media following increase thanks to some innovative social influencer and educational native content campaigns
=> 80% growth of Instagram followers
=> 40% growth of Twitter followers
Singlehandedly managed media relations at Cisco Connect 2017, a major ICT industry conference and Cisco partner event, securing unprecedented media coverage for Cisco.
Charl Nel
Head of Communications
Capitec Bank
“We did many projects with Andrew for Capitec. He is an experienced hand in keeping the boat steady.”
“Thoroughly good-humoured, highly intelligent, hard working and committed, Andrew is adept at evaluating the metrics of a communications strategy and whether it is yielding results or not.
I enjoyed working with and learning from him very much.”
“Andrew has the ability to push boundaries before you even realize there are boundaries to push. He is always a step ahead, innovative and a great storyteller.
I appreciated his strategic counsel and would not hesitate to take up an opportunity to work with him again.”
Sonwabisa Sebata
PR & Communications Lead
Cisco (Africa)
Florence de Fries
Communications Manager
Santam Insurance
Nicola Nel
Founder & CEO
Atmosphere
“Andrew has strong strategic capabilities and is comfortable advising top executives on conceptual and practical elements relevant to the field of public relations. An experienced communicator with impressive writing skills, he will be an asset to any business as a senior PR resource.”
Kelly Dido
Account Manager
Atmosphere
“Andrew is always one step ahead of the curve, immensely creative & has the most brilliant out-of-the-box ideas. He is hard working & shows great team spirit, getting his hands dirty when things need to be pulled together.”
Babalo Kohli
Account Executive
Atmosphere
“Andrew demonstrated what an ideal leader is supposed to be: principled, positive, creative, a motivator and someone who genuinely cares for others.”
Founder & Managing Director August 2009 - September 2016 (Cape Town)
Created a consultancy focusing on sustainability-minded organizations, start-ups, government agencies and non-profits. Delivered executive profiling, media relations, presentation training, business development strategies, innovative storytelling and reputation management. Clients included:
“Andrew is a master storyteller/creator. Through his insight, empathy and professionalism he managed to capture the story of the people and place in the most beautiful & honest way. Through his attention to detail his visuals & audio were breathtaking & the work got shared virally.”
“Andrew possesses excellent client liaison skills and corporate communications skills. He has a passion for Story work and understands the role of Story within the broader corporate communications and marketing field. Andrew is also an excellent script writer, director and narrator.”
Stuart Rothgiesser
Managing Director
Roth Communications
Judy Lain
Chief Marketing Officer
Wesgro
Tracy Jones
Managing Director
Positive Dialogue
“Andrew is a PR professional: passionate, creative, a strategic thinker, networker, with consistent delivery on every objective given to him. His key strength is his ability to totally immerse himself in his client's industry which then enables him to provide insightful, meaningful and impactful business solutions and publicity results.”
Account Director February 2008 - July 2009 (Cape Town)
Developed a team of consultants while leading corporate communications, consumer marketing, and crisis communications for clients in the airline, employee benefits, technology, and energy industries. Clients included:
Rebecca Cronje
Account Manager
Atmosphere Communications
“Andrew was was an inspiring leader…with his enquiring, sharp mind to his many clients’ benefit. Andrew taught me a great deal about tailored media communications and I worked with him on plenty of insight surveys. I can highly recommend him as a creative, witty and insightful PR partner.”
Independent Consultant March 2007 - January 2008 (Cape Town)
Provided corporate and consumer communications services, market analysis, copywriting, media relations and event management to a range of clients. Provided corporate and consumer communications services, market analysis, copywriting, media relations and event management to a range of clients.
Andrew Burke
Chief Creative Officer
Pure Creative
“Andrew is a creative writer and business consultant…he is always professional, meets deadlines, produces excellent work at below competitor price, and always has a smile on his face, important in the deadline driven industry of publishing.”
PR Manager, Corporate Marketing Sept. 2005 - Sept .2006 (Toronto)
Launched properties in Asia and the Middle East, updated the online Press Room, developed tribute video to the organization’s founder, and managed a partnership with TheKnot.com, including filming & hosting of events at US-based Four Seasons.
Nicola Blazier
Media Relations Manager
Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts
“Andrew is a consummate PR professional. I was impressed with his ability to think creatively, his strong writing and pitching skills along with his professionalism, strong leadership abilities and strategic focus. He has a great sense of humour to boot!”
Associate Director, Corporate Communications Feb. 2001 - Sept. 2005 (Toronto)
Advisor to three successive Presidents at Bell ExpressVu, Bell’s TV division, directed internal and external communications, managed issues, and supported marketing. Promoted after three years as a spokesperson.
“Andrew’s thorough understanding of the sector and his strong public relations skills helped propel Bell as the leader in digital TV. He is a strong, senior communicator.”
“Andrew is an energetic and dynamic leader. His PR instincts and writing skills are exceptional. He approaches complex issues thoughtfully and intelligently. I'd definitely work with Andrew again.”
Nicolas Poitras
Corp. Communications Director
Bell Canada
Madeline Long-Duke
Corp. Communications Manager
Bell Canada (ExpressVu)